Hebrews 7:1-10

11 Brotherly kindness manifested in the service of the saints is several times commended in t his epistle (Heb_10:34, Heb_13:1), and will be rewarded in accord with the promise of Mat_10:40-42.

12 "Through faith and patience" the promises may be enjoyed even by those who are actually strangers and expatriates on the earth.

13 That all are not to apostatize is evident from God's oath to Abraham. This truth is offered as an incentive to those who still remain faithful, to persevere to the consummation. It is only thus that the salvation of the Pentecostal saint was assured. The general fulfilment of God's oath to Abraham was beyond question, for God swore by the highest possible power to fulfil it, yet the special blessing of each one of his physical descendants depends, in some degree, not merely on their faith, but their faithfulness. This is the great distinguishing feature, which sinks it far below the grace which is lavished on us, sinners of the nations. We do not need this anchor of the soul, hence it is extended only to those who belong to Abraham by ties of flesh.

1 Melchizedek is notable chiefly for what is not recorded of him. There is no reason to believe that he was, personally, the mystical and miraculous character which is his as a picture of the priesthood of Christ. He doubtless was a man like other men, for God had some among the nations who had been brought to a close acquaintance with their Creator. The Melchizedek priesthood should be studied in its contrasts with the Aaronic priesthood. Its greatest difference lies in the fact that it combines the office of king with that of priest. This is the ideal way. It was only because of the failure of Moses that Aaron was given a share in his mediatorial office. It is God's purpose that the nation of Israel shall be a kingdom of priests (Exo_19:6), a royal priesthood (1Pe_2:8). They will rule the nations for God and bring the nations' offerings to God. So it behooves their Head to be both Priest and King. The other great point of dissimilarity lies in the matter of succession. The continuance of the Aaronic priesthood was made a matter of descent, and nothing was so vital to a priest as his genealogy. He must be able to tell his father and his mother and trace his lineage clear back to Aaron or he could not even be a priest. And he must provide for this succession by marrying within the priestly caste. In notable contrast to this we have no recorded genealogy of Melchizedek whatever, no mention of father or mother, and no succession, for his death is carefully excluded from the fleeting glimpse we get of him on the pages of inspiration. These omissions are intentional, for only thus can his priesthood picture the priesthood of Christ, Who does not require a genealogy or a successor.

2 The writer fixes our attention on the significance and sequence of these titles. Righteousness must underlie peace in Christ's priestly work as elsewhere (Psa_72:3; Psa_85:10; Isa_32:17; Isa_9:4). So also justification is the ground of the infinitely greater favor of peace (Rom_5:1).

3 The Aaronic priesthood was a treadmill which never accomplished its object. The Melchizedek priesthood of Christ lasts during the millennium, and accomplishes its purpose, for no priest is found necessary in the new creation (Rev_22:22), when God dwells with mankind (Rev_21:3).

4 As further evidence of the superiority of the Melchizedek priesthood, our attention is directed to the tithe, which, in Israel, was the special portion of the Levites. Abraham, himself, the progenitor of the nation, actually paid tithes to this priest, and in him, the whole Levitical priesthood paid tithes to another and higher order. Nor is this all, for Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and so bestowed his benediction on the Levitic succession. This alone shows that his order is distinctly superior to that of Aaron.